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america." >> this is "bbc world news america." reporting from washington. efforts to defuse the situation in ukraine going into overdrive, but the situation continues in armenia. and in the murder trial involving oscar pistorius, it is said that he tried to fire a gun in a restaurant and tried to shift the blame. and looking to break the cycle of poverty by increasing conversation between parents and kids. welcome to our viewers in america and around the globe. tonight, nato is reviewing the russian response.

the kremlin accused nato of returning to the attitudes of the cold war. flurry of diplomatic activity today, and we will get to that in a moment. on the ground in ukraine, pro-russian demonstrators stormed the regional government holding. russia tightened its grip on military facilities. our bbc world news editor has our coverage. ,> it was inside this café besieged by noisy, pro-russian demonstrators that the u.n. envoy took refuge. the doorway was barred by ukrainian security police. though, as usual, it was not quite clear whose side they were on. it stayed remarkably cool inside, as he contacted the u.n. in new york and came to the conclusion that the sensible thing would be to cut his visit short.

he had to make his way through the hostile crowd, but there was no physical aggression, and he kept his composure as he got into the waiting car to head off .o the import the crisis in ukraine can only be sorted out by diplomatic means, essentially between russia and america. they took the chance to talk to his american member, john kerry. they were calling for the international support group. there was a lot of negotiating still to be done, and the americans are still using their biggest weapon, the threat of serious economic and political consequences. >> we will call for russia to speak with the government of ukraine to send troops back to to welcome and

international observers and human rights monitors, and we have seen today what happened with the special envoy just how special it is to assure the safety of those monitors and observers. admitted this needs to be created, conditions of threats and ultimatums. it is difficult to have an honest agreement. the ground in ukraine, the tension is still extremely high. pro-russiann city, demonstrators stormed through the government buildings in the city. they had lost control of them a few hours earlier to forces loyal to the new, pro-western government in kiev, but now, the crowd was taking them back again. by the end, the russian flag was flying over the building.

here in the crimean peninsula, the russian takeover is pretty much complete. ukrainian naval ships are blockaded in their own harbor, and others watch over them. russians control all the naval and military bases here, with local people guarding the gates. representative has, there is a real anger and aggression about a lot of these rogue russian demonstrators. in fact, people in ukraine are saying they are really not from crimea at all. they have actually been shipped in from russia. john simpson, bbc news. [no audio]

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♪ >> the outside source giving you the news in a different way, with the help of our touch stream. >> very sorry about the interruption to our program there, but we are back on the air and returning to our top story. activity in ukraine. we can hear now from the u.s. state department spokesperson, who i spoke to a little while ago. john kerry said he has something concrete to take back to the president following this meeting with the minister. what is it? >> well, if i told you that, then you would not be as tuned in. i think the important thing that john kerry took to the meeting is that there is an off ramp areas our preference is not to

have a remake of "rocky iv." we want the russians to engage with the ukrainians, and he has been closely in touch with president obama and the team with the discussions he is having on the ground. >> there are a number of ideas on the table. you mentioned this off ramp. international monitors gaining traction with the russians? >> well, i would point you to the russians to convey that, but the fact is, if the russians want to look out for minorities in crimea, if they want someone to be looking out for the voices of those people, they should let international monitors in. that is the clearest way to do it and a lot of international support, and i am sure that was this gust today as well. >> more about the diplomatic solution? >> you heard the secretary say. only in discussions with the allies can immediately feel that way.

to see the members of the new government in the ukraine and with the minister and see a range of foreign ministers from around europe, and, you know, he is always a hopeful guy, so he is looking forward to see what can happen over the coming days. >> when the ministers meet tomorrow, they are signaling they are unwilling to consider sanctions, with the usb prepared to impose, say, banking -- would against them the u.s. be prepared? >> the secretary has been engaged with everyone from foreign secretary haig to a range of officials throughout the last couple of days. we are preparing options. we have been considering options, and we have been very clear about that, but we will see what happens over the next 24 to 48 hours. >> the russian occupation in crimea? clear thatbeen very

we want to see a unified, sovereign ukraine. obviously, there is an invasion by the russians that is happening on the ground now, as we all have been talking about for days. our hope is that we can move forward, of course, to a diplomatic solution, and we are prepared to take a range of steps and options, and there will be consequences. >> suspending the g-8 summit reparation, would you do more? >> i would not predict that at this point. obviously, we are not participating now in the planning meeting, and not going to the g-8 is something that is certainly on the table. >> inc. you so much. >> thank you. >> -- thank you soma. -- so much. i spoke to a security advisor. you were the national security georgiaduring that

crisis. is this history repeating itself? >> it is a little bit. it is the gambit that president clinton did in georgia and is doing again in ukraine -- that president putin did in georgia. vladimir putin is trying to have an alternative to western institutions. he signed up russian. he obviously signed up belarus and is pressuring those nearby, but that only works if he has got ukraine, and if he has got ukraine firmly in a russian orbit, and that is what this is all about and why it is so serious. >> do you think in retrospect you were tough enough in the white house? a number of things. we did, as the ministration is doing here, we have a billion dollar aid package for georgia to make sure they could survive economically.

the black ship into sea and delivered humanitarian c-130.nce with the whatd a lot in place, but we did not do was economic sanctions. >> is that what they should do now? >> i think so. and we have learned a lot about sanctions from iran. sanctions that excluded iran from the world financial system. andnow how to target oil gas. we have got legislation since 2008, so i think two things. one, i think we should have put in place economic sanctions, and secondly, the obama administration should have let them stay in place longer, but, again, they did a reset in 2009, and the russian message we were trying to send -- >> do you think there is an appetite for those kind of tough inking sanctions against russia?

>> we will see. it is not just thinking sanctions here. remember, there are a lot of things we can do. reinforce our support for our allies. , and alsoxercises making clear that europe is still open for business in terms of bringing countries from eastern and central europe in. sanctions are important. small, targeted sanctions against individuals for visas and money that were involved in this decision. thinking decisions. >> european ministers are going to meet tomorrow. to you think there is any appetite for the european union, which does so much trade with russia? >> remember, that dependence is two-sided. europe needs the gas. russia needs the revenue from the sale of the gas. and others have

talked about sanctions. clearly, the germans are reluctant. i think that will get sorted out. i think it also depends on how the russians respond. if they extend what they have done in crimea to eastern ukraine, i think that would be that clearly sanctions are on the table. i think we would start small and build. >> thank you for joining us. >> nice to be here. still very high in ukraine, and other news from around the world, thousands of troops have marched through the venezuelan capital of caracas on the anniversary of the death of the former president hugo chavez. radicals for the unrest a country has seen in the last few weeks. saudi arabia, the united air of emirates, and bahrain have withdrawn their ambassadors to qatar, accusing them of failing to implement a security accord

signed last year. they say they are surprised and disappointed by the move. a south african boxer and friend of oscar pistorius has testified that the former olympian fired a gun under the table of a johannesburg restaurant and then asked someone else to take the blame. we have the report. guarding oscar pistorius on his way into court. the prosecution continues to build the case against him. taking the stand, the first witness to agree to appear on camera, a professional boxer. >> i was really shocked. >> he described an incident at a johannesburg restaurant, a month before the story is shot dead his girlfriend, reeva steenkamp. they allege he fired a gun under

one of these tables, seemingly by accident, and then he asked a friend to take the blame. i do remember him saying, is , and he said, i do not want any tension around me. say it was you. >> it gives the prosecution opportunity to raise concerns about his reputation. >> discharging a gun under the table, trying to compromise a friend. >> but it was not all bad for pistorius today, as the defense picked holes in the testimony of the neighbors. >> that is nonsense. that cannot be. >> a testimony that there were screams, contradicting the

events. >> in all fairness, there is a man's life at stake. let's look at other possibilities. >> today's restaurant revelations may prove damaging to the story is, but they are showing that they are doing to prove he did not murder her. and at the first annual policy speech, the chinese premier tells the people's congress he would tackle corruption without mercy. the remarks come after a crackdown which has seen thousands of senior officials arrested, but there are concerns the campaign does not go far enough. public anger is growing. our china correspondent. nation looking not

to lose their hold on power. widespread, but in tiananmen square, nothing. the stifling becoming greater. remembering the 29 people killed in the city last week. there are other threats to the communist power also. economic reforms and a campaign against corruption. >> we will energetically build a system, resolutely investigate this, and penalize offenders without mercy. >> doesn't have been detained. it is his way of stamping his authority. is thatiggest thing they have to make sure they are

, and not withes the chinese communist party per se. >> trust me, trust me, urges and official, but as in many parts of china, they do not trust him. they say they were forced from their homes to make way for development, and compensation has not in page. the way the chinese system works, it means corruption exists at every level, and to root it out would require reform, not just a campaign. he is raising expectation among the masses who feel cheated and left out. the question is, can he deliver? >> this has given us some hope. we just want what we were promised. then, we tried to film it.

the protesters were furious. of china'ser, one largest, says it has paid the local government more than 30 million pounds. the fear that corruption is unchecked, creating a crisis for the chinese party. >> now the vatican. pope francis has strongly defended the record of the catholic church while looking at the sexual abuse of children. the popee interview, says there has been no one who more.ne more to do others are siding them for systematic coverups. 30 million more words. words ofow much more

fluid children here -- hear. and they are spending thousands on devices and visitors, encouraging people to speak more with their children, even if their language is not english. attempts to reduce inequality. >> time for a snack and a chat. of, conversation to her three-year-old daughter. this is part of a radical byempt in rhode island encouraging their parents to talk to them more. research shows the more words you have heard by the time you start school, the better you do. spanish-speaking home, ultimately educated in english. she faces the additional hurdle of becoming bilingual. providence is sending a home visit or to

advise her on how to interact more with her daughter. recorder counts the number of words spoken to her. >> on the first recording, the mom only had like 11,000 words, and now in the last effort your in the 99this up percentile, 28,000 words now. >> you might not think of it, but more than one third of children in providence live in poverty. research shows that by the age of four, kids from less well-off homes heard many fewer words than children from wealthier backgrounds. an ambitious program to close that gap and to stop the cycle of poverty. the mayor of providence got the program off the ground with a $5 million grant from the charity from michael bloomberg. it started with 75 families.

>> there is still a lot more work to do, and i want to make sure all of our children have the opportunity to succeed. >> some people say this is about the government coming into your home and telling you what to do with your child. >> i would say it is the opposite. if you choose to be part of it, it gives a chance to help prepare your child for school. >> in providence, a tale of two cities. poverty of more than 30% of hispanic households, and the more affluent parts of town. privateol is a institution where three-year-olds can attend nursery. time, anendar environment rich with new vocabulary. >> we use big words in here all the time because we are constantly communicating with them about their day. >> for parents, the cost of sending her here is well worth it. >> we wanted to take money that we might've spent on other things and invested in their

education. it is not just education, but it is the sense of socialization, and i think it ultimately gets these kids ahead at a young age. >> that on the other side of town, a world apart, they are doing the dishes together. she has seen a change for the better in her daughter, who has started chatting more. >> before i did not give her the chance to express herself. i would be doing most of the talking. now, i give her a chance to express herself, so she does not get frustrated and angry. >> it has already helped some in their daily lives. i can loves her books, tell you, and hopefully that will help her chances. that brings us to a close, but you can continue watching us on our 24-hour news channel. thanks for watching.

>> funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation, newman's own foundation, giving all profits to charity in pursuing the common good for over 30 years, union bank, and charles schwab. >> there is a saying around here. you stand behind what you say. around here, you don't make excuses. you make commitments. and when you can't live up to them, you own up and make it right. some people think the kind of accountability that thrives on so many streets in this country has gone missing in the places it is needed most. but i know that you will still find it when you know where to look. ♪ >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry that you operate in. working to nurture new ventures

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narrator: george thought the best way to spend a relaxing afternoon was a visit with professor wiseman. (gibbering excitedly) (chattering impatiently) (george chattering) wiseman: yes... no. maybe. green. thursday. gravitational pull. you're welcome. oh... oh, hi, guys. hi. (chatters "hello") (chiming) just a minute, i have to respond to this urgent message from dr. hasslein. uh, should we come back another time? you seem busy. oh, no. i am dizzier-- i mean, busier-- than usual, but it's administrative duties. huh? office work. answering questions, filing, copying. (chattering curiously) (phone ringing) apatosauru